Fear, Itself
by Arina Ketchum
Summary: Sequel to Truth and Rumers. Arina and her group are on their way to Saffron City...but something wicked this way comes...
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Welcome back, readers! It's been a long journey to get back to this fanfic, but we're on the road again, and this time, we're going to finish it. Unless SoulSilver and HeartGold steal my eyes when they come out next week, then there might be a delay in fanfic. That'll count as research…right?

Before you dive into this fic, you'll have to have read the others in the series ahead of it. You can see the list and find all of them in my profile at ff . net

Enjoy!

* * * *

Fear, Itself

By Arina Ketchum

Chapter 1

"So here are the options. We can either take the this route, which is a little bit shorter, but a lot more treacherous," Angel stabbed at the map with her fork, "or take _this _route, which is longer, but less dangerous."

The motley crew of three looked down intensely at the map sitting in front of them.

Narrator: After competing for and earning a Rainbow Badge each, our trio has headed off to Saffron City. Along the way, they found themselves at an all-you-can-eat restaurant in a small town, to fill themselves up and get a good look at the route ahead of them.

"They don't make it easy on us, do they?" Arina sighed as she twirled some spaghetti on her fork, a bit of her long blue hair falling forward over her shoulder as she craned her neck to look over the map.

"Why couldn't we just _fly_ to Saffron?" Rob, their third companion, offered as he rested his fist against his cheek.

"Because," Angel said gallantly, tossing her purple hair over her shoulder, "this is supposed to be an adventure, a test to see if you've got the stuff to be a real Pokemon trainer. You can't just land in town, hit up the local Gym for a badge, and then fly off again. The whole point is to experience new sights, new sounds -"

"New Pokemon," a male voice said behind them.

Arina twisted around in her seat to see a tall teenager with vivid burgundy hair, dressed in jeans and a golf tee standing behind her. "Hey, Jonathan!" Arina stood up from her seat. "It's been a while!"

"I can't believe I ran into you again, Arina!" Jonathan extended his hand to her.

Arina smiled and shook hands, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Angel leaning over to Rob, asking, "Who?" But Rob looked equally puzzled.

"Oh, Angel, Rob, this is Jonathan. We met at Mt. Moon the first time I was there. Jonathan, this is Angel and Rob. We all met up in Celadon."

"Awesome, nice to meet you." Jonathan nodded to her traveling companions. "Mind if I join you for lunch?"

"Sure!" Angel piped up. "Get some food and spin some yarns with us!"

Jonathan smiled as he dropped his bag on an empty chair at their table, and wandered over to the manned buffet table.

"What about figuring out which road -"

Angel cut Rob off, "We can figure that out later." She waved away his concerns airily and scooped up the map, watching Jonathan pick out his meal the entire time. Rob and Arina looked at each other. Angel's teenage hormones had clearly overtaken her sensibility, so it might be up to the two of them to plan their trip to Saffron, they realized.

Two hours later, Jonathan and the group had spun each other out. Jonathan, or Jon, as he preferred, now knew Arina had gone back to Mt. Moon for Rumer, and had found Clefairy & Ekans instead; that Rob and Arina had grown up together, and he had amnesia; and Angel was originally from the Orange Islands, but she and her mom had recently moved to Pallet Town, and Angel had been training for five years.

"So where are you headed now?" Jon asked.

"We're on our way to Saffron City. Depending on which route we take, we could be there in a day and a half." Arina said.

"I was actually thinking of heading that way myself," Jon agreed.

"You should join us!" Angel's green eyes lit up excitedly, "I heard the Fighting Dojo is trying to take over as the official Saffron Gym."

"Geez, _again_? Sabrina was there first, and her gym has never lost the title. I don't know why the League hasn't kicked them out of Saffron already," Jon said with slight exasperation.

"I know why," Angel leaned in to share her conspiracy theory. "I heard the League is afraid Sabrina will lose her mind and sink into a psychic hallucination, so they keep the Dojo there to keep an eye on her."

Jon's green eyes widened; clearly the idea had never crossed his mind. "Is that true?"

Angel nodded toward Arina. "She's the Pokemon Master's daughter, ask her."

The spotlight shifted to Arina, making her more uncomfortable with this conversation than she already was.

"You are?" Jon asked, unsure of Angel's anointing. "You're _the_ Arina Ketchum?"

"Yeah," Arina wiggled in her seat, and nervously tossed her blue hair over her shoulder. "I don't like to brag about it, though."

From what Arina had already heard at her own house, Angel was dangerously close to the truth about Sabrina. Ash and Misty had warned her many times in the past that anything she'd heard in Pallet, _stayed_ in Pallet. If she started leaking League secrets to the public, the _last_ thing she'd have to worry about would be losing her trainer's license and facing the League Inquisition. She'd have to face her parents - and that would be far worse than any punishment the League could bestow on her.

"All just rumors, Angel," Arina attempted to sound a bit more nonchalant about the topic. "I've met her before, and she's really very nice, and very normal."

Angel shrugged uncertainly. "If you say so."

"Well, now my curiosity is piqued. Maybe I will come with you," Jon said.

"What happened to being a wandering free spirit?" Arina asked as she dug around her bag for a ponytail holder.

"There's nothing wrong with a little structure now and then." Jon said as he watched the younger girl pull her hair into a ponytail. "Besides, the company wouldn't be so bad, either," he winked at Angel, making Angel blush, and making Rob and Arina roll their eyes at each other.

* * * *

It probably would have been better to start off the next morning, and get a good night's sleep in a nice, comfy bed. But instead, later that day, the four trainers ended up running through a rain shower in an open plain, with very few trees in sight.

"Does the map show any shelter anywhere?" Arina yelled as they ran.

"You want me to pull out the map _now_?" Angel yelled back. "I don't even know if we're going the right way!"

"You're supposed to be our navigator! You're the one with the compass!" Arina cried angrily.

"Look, guys!" Jon pointed ahead, shutting down the fight. In the distance, there was a free standing building.

"Saved!" Rob said.

"Agreed; our fortune isn't so bad after all," Jon said amicably. "At least we won't have to bathe now!"

As they got closer, they realized it was a barn, but there were no other houses or buildings nearby to suggest who it was owned by. Jon reached it first, grabbed the sliding door and pulled it open so they could run inside.

"Made it!" Arina cried in relief as she shook off what water she could. She started pulling out a towel to wipe off the rest of the water.

"We were lucky this barn happened to be here," Jon stated.

"Did anyone else notice that this is the only structure in the area?" Angel asked worriedly.

"I did," Arina piped up as she handed the towel to Rob, "but if there's a barn, shouldn't there be a house?"

"More than that, there aren't any plowed fields, humans, or Pokemon." Rob agreed.

"You don't think it's h-haunted, do you?" Angel squeaked, "I mean, nothing else explains it."

"Even if it is, which I doubt, nothing will happen," Jon said, his voice level and calm. "Let's get dry and get a small fire going. He tapped his foot on the ground. "The ground is loose dirt, so we can dig a small fire pit by the door." He looked up to the roof. "Arina and Rob, it looks like there's some hay in the loft, could you get some as kindling? Hopefully, it'll stop raining, so we can go out and find firewood before dark."

Rob and Arina climbed up the ladder to the loft, while Angel and Rob started digging the pit. Arina peeked over the edge of the floor, down to Jon. "Do you want us to toss it down?"

"Yeah, get it in a big pile and then push the pile over the edge. Bring your Pokemon out, they'll probably want to relax and eat dinner with us."

"Oh, that's right! Rob has a Charmeleon! He can help with the fire!"

"Great, bring 'em out!"

"Thanks for volunteering me," Rob hissed as Arina started releasing her Pokemon.

"What's wrong? Everyone has to pull their own weight."

"Hmph." But Rob pulled his Pokeballs out and released Charmeleon, Sandshrew, Rattata, Kakuna, Fearow and Ryhorn anyway.

"I'll bet the water Pokemon would like the rain," Angel called up to the two younger trainers.

"Oh, that's right! Kaeri, I choose you!" Arina threw out a Pokeball, while Jon released Wartortle.

Rob and Arina quickly got a pile of hay together and tossed most of it down. By then, Jon and Angel had dug a reasonably sized hole. Jon must have asked, because Kaeri and Wartortle were coming back with small rocks and placing them around the hole. Rob and Arina came back down, and helped John & Angel gather up handfuls of hay and tie them together with string Jon had in his pack.

"We should have plenty for tonight if it doesn't stop raining. Let's use what we've got for now, and we can make more for tomorrow if necessary."

"Charmeleon, Ember attack!" Rob ordered.

Charmeleon blew a small flame into the pit, lighting the hay bundles on fire.

Angel released her Ninetales. "Ninetales, help Charmander keep that fire going! Ember!"

Once the fire was burning brightly, and the four of them dried out, they started unpacking their sleeping bags and rolling them out by the fire.

"Do you guys have food for dinner?" Jon asked.

"I have some provisions," Arina said.

"Same here," Angel and Rob chorused.

"Freeze-dried food? Ugh. We need a real meal!" Jon started pulling out two aluminum cans and a pot out of his pack. "I have learned the hard way to be prepared for anything, and that means dragging pots and pans around with me, as well as decent meals. We'll have stew tonight. You're only supposed to use provisions if you're absolutely desperate."

Angel looked at Arina. "We aren't absolutely desperate _now_?"

Arina didn't reply. What could she say? Ash and Misty couldn't afford much beyond starter supplies, much less any kind of allowance for future meals after the provisions were gone. Her cheeks reddened in unannounced shame.

"I'm not hungry," she said quietly as she looked away from them.

The rest of the group looked at her in confusion.

"We've been on the road for hours. You have to be!" Angel cried.

"Well, I'm not!" Arina snapped, taking Angel aback, "I'm going to bed."

"Arin-"

But Jon cut Angel off with a hand on her shoulder. "Let her be," Arina heard him say as she lay down.

She lay away from the fire, wide awake, Rattata snuggled up next to her, while the rest of them ate, drank, and chatted. Slowly, their voices dwindled until they died completely, and the fire fell to a few pops and crackles, and her tummy grew louder with angry growls for food. She heard someone moving around and guessed someone needed to play lookout for them. She was half-asleep when she heard them coming in her direction. She quickly squeezed her eyes shut and pretended she was completely in dreamland.

They knelt down to her. "You can't be a Pokemon Master if you don't eat properly." It was Jon. "I don't think your parents would like it if they knew their daughter was starving because of her pride." He put a bowl of hot stew next to her. "They're trying their best; you should too." He patted the crown of her head. "Don't worry, I won't tell Rob and Angel."

Jon got up and walked back to the fire. Soon, he'd tucked himself into his sleeping bag by the door, and was softly snoring.

Arina waited until she was absolutely sure they were all asleep, sat up, and hungrily gulped down the now lukewarm stew.

* * * *

The howl that pierced through the night woke all of them, including Arina, the heaviest sleeper.

"What was that?" Angel asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Quiet," Jon said in a stern order. He was crouched by the door, now only slightly ajar. The fire was out, making the barn completely dark, and it seemed to have stopped raining as well. "Arina, Rob, are you up?"

"Mhm, yeah." Arina said half-sleepily.

"All of you, move to the left side of the barn, and _don't_ move once you get there." Jon peered out again, the only light was the twinkling stars, and the waning moon.

"What is it?" Rob asked impatiently as Arina, Angel and he lined up.

"Team Rocket," Jon answered. He flicked on the night-light of his watch. "It's almost 3 a.m. They've probably been out at the bars, drinking."

"In the middle of nowhere?" Arina asked.

"We must be closer to Saffron than we thought." Angel replied excitedly.

"Hush." Jon ordered. After a minute, he said, "Angel, give me your compass."

"But-"

"Now!"

They could now hear raucous laughter and singing coming closer. Angel quietly stumbled in the dark for her pack. When she found the compass, she hurried over to him, handed it over, and then scurried back to her place in between Arina and Rob.

"All right, they're going _that _way." Jon mumbled. "And they came from _that_ way…"

"Hey, iz zat a barn?" One of the Rockets hiccupped.

"Oh, damn," Jon muttered. "They've seen the barn."

"Whut's a barn doin'," the second slurred, "out-out-out…" Finding he couldn't finish his sentence he burst out laughing, stumbling ahead of his pals. The Mightyena that accompanied them, drunk as well, was howling at intervals with mirth.

"Maybe we should sleep there tonight. Boss'll kick us out if we come back…stinkin'."

This produced more laughter from all three as they headed toward us. Arina suddenly realized Angel was gripping her hand and she was involuntarily squeezing back in fear.

"No choice left," Jon muttered as he reached for his belt. "Drowzee, Hypnosis!" he yelled as he threw a Pokeball out into the dark, and then slammed the door shut.

"What are you doing?" Angel cried in horror.

They could hear Jon attempting to keep his voice civil. "You've been training for five years and you don't understand that Drowzee just saved us?"

Angel didn't reply.

"I don't hear anything," Arina whispered.

Jon opened the door a crack, the three Rockets and their Mightyena were passed out on the wet grass, sound asleep. Drowzee was standing over them, looking pleased.

"Excellent work, Drowzee!" Jon smiled, and pushed the door open fully. He returned the Pokemon to its ball, and then turned to the others. "Get your Pokemon back into their balls, and get your stuff together. We're leaving."

"Now?"

"You do like that word, don't you, Angel?" Jon said lightly. "Yes, now. You want to go back to bed with three Rockets outside the door, be my guest. But I'm not taking the chance of them waking up before I do tomorrow morning."

"Jon's right, Angel. We don't have a choice. We can't risk it." Arina piped up.

"Hurry and get packed. I think they came from Lavender Town, and we can reach it by dawn if we're quick." Jon urged them.

So they complied, fumbling around in the dark for their stuff. Rob hadn't said a word almost the entire time, but now he said to Arina quietly, "when did Jon appoint himself leader?"

Clearly, all the tension they felt was not just coming from their wake-up call. And if that was the case, it was going to be a _long_ journey back to Pallet Town.

*

They walked the rest of the night, only stopping several times to catch their breath and do bathroom breaks. Arina really hated going in the woods, especially in the dark, but they really had no options.

"We're right outside of town! I can see buildings!" Angel said happily as they continued walking.

"If we time it just right, we should get to the Pokemon Center for breakfast," Jon said.

"Great! Let's run!" Angel cheered.

"Let's not," Arina said wearily. Jon and Angel, in the lead, saw Rob and Arina dragging their feet.

"You guys ok? Do you need another break?" Jon asked.

"We need beds," Rob stated flatly.

"Maybe we should just lie down here," Arina yawned, and leaned against a tree.

"But we'll be there soon. Then you can sleep and have pancakes." Angel said as she pointed at the town coming into view.

"Mhm, pancakes." Arina murmured. She closed her eyes for a moment, and the next thing she knew, Jon was picking her off the ground.

"You dream a lot when you walk, Rin, and you're going to fall into a hole." He grabbed her and hoisted her on his back.

"Wah!" Arina cried, "what are you doing?!"

"Rin, you're half-asleep as it is. At least let me carry you to a bed before you choose the road to nap on.

"My name isn't _Rin_, it's A-rin-a," she bopped him on the head with her fist.

Jon looked back at her, feigning sheepishness. "Whatever you say, _Rin_."

"I'll Rin you," she mumbled tiredly and pointed over his shoulder to the city. "Onward, to pancakes."

End Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

Fear, Itself

Chapter 2

By Arina Ketchum

By the time Arina woke up again, breakfast was long over, and she was in a warm, comfortable lower bunk of a bunk bed, her pack leaning against it. Angel was asleep in the bunk across from her, snoring heavily. She stretched and yawned and crawled out of the bunk. It looked like the guys were already awake. She quietly slipped her sneakers on and went downstairs to the main room of the Center itself, which seemed to be quite steady with business for Joy and Chansey.

"Rin!" Not that she now responded to the new nickname, or that she even _liked_ it, but what turned her head was the voice – Rob's. He and Jon were sitting in the corner at the far end of the room, eating lunch, Rob waving to her.

"Welcome to the lunch rush." Jon said to Arina after she made her way over. "We've been up for a couple of hours now, training out in the backyard. We thought we'd take a tour of the town once you two were up."

"Sounds fun," Arina agreed, as she pushed some blue hair away from her face. "Who wants to be the one to wake the green-eyed monster back in our room?"

"Um," Jon looked at his watch, "let's give her another half-hour. If she's not up by then, we'll wake her, with force if necessary."

But Angel stumbled downstairs fifteen minutes later, much to Jon and Rob's disappointment. There weren't going to be any forceful awakenings today. Arina mused on what they might do to her if she didn't wake up on their schedule!

Angel and Arina got lunch together, Angel still sleepy. "I don't do so well on all night walking marathons, apparently," she yawned and waved her hand at Arina before the younger girl could protest. "I know, I know, Team Rocket."

"I think we should stay here tonight," Jon announced when the girls sat down again, "and head for Saffron tomorrow."

"I'm _so_ glad we have a Mother Hen with us, Arina, otherwise, God knows where we'd end up." Angel said in a loud, irritated voice. Arina looked at her in shock.

"I'm just suggesting-" Jon started.

"Your _suggestions_ have dictated this entire trip since we left the restaurant yesterday! You suddenly became leader when we didn't ask for one!" Angel shouted.

"You certainly seem to need one – who's the one that got us lost yesterday?" Jon shouted back.

Angel fumed, and her cheeks turned bright pink. The rest of the Pokemon Center was now quiet and staring at their table.

"Jon's right though, Angel. It's too late to start out-" Angel whipped around and cut Arina off with a death glare that clearly told her to butt out.

"It's common sense. We're looking at _least_ at another day of walking and I don't want to spend tonight outside if I don't have to." Jon said, as the rest of the room resumed their activities.

"I don't either, Angel." Arina agreed.

"Me, either." Rob said as well.

Angel looked at Arina and Rob with daggers in her eyes. "You're siding with HIM?"

"I'm not siding with anyone, Angel," Arina protested, "but it's almost two o'clock now, and it'll be _long_ after sunset before we reach Saffron. After last night, I want a bed, and not a sleeping bag. We can train here today and leave tomorrow."

"What's the hurry anyway, Angel? We should be taking our time. You were the one yesterday telling us we shouldn't run into town and run out again," Rob said.

Angel was quiet momentarily, then, "Fine, do what you want. But _I_ will not be ordered around the rest of this trip."

"Fine, Ms. Navigator." Jon said irritably as he took something from his pocket. "Here's your compass. We fled so quickly I forgot to give it back to you."

Angel snatched it out of his outstretched hands, her expression softening. "Thanks. I can't replace this; it was my grandfather's. He taught me how to use it, before he…anyway." Angel shook her herself. "What did you guys want to do today?"

Jon opened his mouth, but closed it again. "Someone else tell her. If I say anything, it'll just look like I'm dictating again."

"Well, we're in Lavender Town, right? There's the Pokemon Tower-"

"Out of the question," Angel stopped Arina.

"Why?"

"We have no business going stomping through a Pokemon graveyard for the sake of curiosity."

"Who's dictating this trip _now_?" Rob asked with an air of annoyance.

"I think someone's afraid of ghosts." Jon teased.

Angel stamped her foot. "You've heard the stories – people have seen ghosts there, and they aren't Ghastly, Gengar, or any normal Ghost Pokemon."

"People can have overactive imaginations. We'll be fine, ghosts don't come out until dark, anyway," Arina stated. "You don't have to come, Angel. You can stay here and take a walk around town or go get the supplies we need."

"Yeah, the ghosts don't usually bother anyone outside the tower," Jon said off-handedly.

"Cut it out, Jon. She's freaked out, enough." Arina snapped.

"Yeesh, alright, Rin, calm down." Jon put his hands up to deflect her. "Why aren't you scared?"

"I can't be scared of something I don't believe in."

"You don't believe in ghosts?" Rob asked.

"Nope," Arina looked at Angel, who was as pale as milk. "All right, let's talk more about this on the way there, before Angel becomes her namesake."

*

"You think Angel will be all right?" Rob asked as they made their way to the Tower.

"She'll be fine once she gets into supply shopping. It'll take her mind off ghosts." Jon said.

"Hmph," Arina muttered. "No such thing, besides Ghost Pokemon. Bet they wouldn't scare me if we found them."

"Good! You lead the way, oh brave one." Jon fell back with Rob as they arrived at the Tower.

A shrine maiden stood at the entrance. "Have you come to pay your respects?"

"Yes, we have." Jon stated firmly.

"And you're Pokemon trainers?" she asked, noting the Pokeballs on their belts.

Arina nodded.

"Very well. You may enter under the condition that the souls that dwell here are not disturbed in any manner. You will be forced to leave, otherwise."

"Understood." Jon said, and nudged Arina with the palm of his hand. "Let's go, oh Fearless One."

Arina's legs felt like lead as she tried to step forward into the building. The doors closed behind them, and they were bathed in the glow of lanterns as their only guide.

"Why don't we start from the top and work our way down?" Jon suggested. Rob and Arina just nodded mutely. Jon gave them a grin and a chuckle. They rode up a quiet elevator to the fifth floor.

"It's usually the ones who aren't expecting to see ghosts, see them first, Rin." Jon whispered to her as the doors opened.

"Wonderful," Arina muttered, but walked out anyway. The mood was the same as the first floor; lanterns just barely lit the room filled with headstones. There was a shrine maiden praying in the corner, but no other visitors on this floor besides them.

"Why are we here again?" Rob asked quietly.

"We're here to pay our respects as Pokemon trainers." Jon answered.

"Too bad I'm broke, let's go." Rob started heading for the elevator.

Jon grabbed him by the shoulder. "We'll be out of here soon."

"Quit tugging on my hair, you guys." Arina reached back to her ponytail.

"We're _not_."

"Then who -" Arina twirled around, only to face inky darkness. "Guys?" There was no answer.

"Ok, what's going on?" She turned to face "front" again, when she heard voices.

She was back at home in the upstairs hallway. Her parents' voices were floating softly out of the guest bedroom. The door was slightly ajar, so she quietly pushed it, and peeked in.

"Mom?"

Misty Ketchum was sitting in a rocking chair, holding a blanketed bundle, Ash kneeling next to her. They both looked up at her voice, and immediately, the look of happiness faded to displeasure across their faces.

"So you're finally home," Misty sneered.

"Yeah, I guess." Arina shrugged uncertainly. "What's wrong?"

Ash stood up. "What's 'wrong', young lady, is that we told you that you were to come home with nothing less than the #1 spot at the League Games. Instead you came in at 70th!"

Arina's heart was sinking into her stomach. "I did?"

"Stop being coy!" Misty spat. "You knew we'd need the money, especially after the baby was born!"

"Arina, we've decided its time for you to leave. We've got a _real_ champion to train now." Ash shut the door in Arina's face.

"No! You can't do this! I couldn't help it! Dad!" Arina beat on the door with tears running down her face. "Mom, please!"

"Release this girl from this spell!"

Arina's eyes came into focus, and she realized she was staring at the shrine maiden that had been praying in the corner. Her legs gave way, and Jon and Rob caught her as she fell. "Easy, Rin, easy."

"Thank goodness you're all right." The shrine maiden breathed a sigh of relief. "I haven't seen a deep possession like that in some time."

Arina eyes rolled back into head and she passed out.

"Oh dear!" the median gasped. "Quickly, take her to the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy will help her!"

*

Jon raced into the Center with Arina in his arms, Rob close behind, both looking pale.

"Nurse Joy! We have an emergency!"

Angel happened to be coming in then with the supplies she'd bought for the four of them. "You guys are back alrea- OHMIGOD! What happened?!" she cried, dropping her bags. "Arina!"

Jon shushed her as he lay Arina down on a gurney Chansey had raced over with. "Nurse Joy and Chansey will take care of her."

"What happened?" Joy asked.

"We were in Pokemon Tower-"

Joy glared at them. "That's ALL I need to know," She raced away with Chansey and Arina into another room.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Angel yelled in fear, scaring everyone in earshot. "Why is Arina sick?!"

"I think I need to go lie down." Rob muttered.

"I agree." Jon said, "Come on, Ang, let's go to our room and I'll tell you what happened."

*

"She was speaking a different language?!" Angel cried.

"Would you keep your voice down, for the last time?" Jon ground out.

"But she – I don't think she knows any other languages." Angel said, "Then again, I don't know her that well."

Jon and she were sitting at the table in their room, Rob lying on his bunk. Jon leaned in closer to her. "See, here's the thing, and don't you dare scream – she was completely possessed. She turned to us and started mumbling that mumbo jumbo and her eyes were just…blank. That's when the psychic jumped in and stopped it and freed her."

Angel banged the table. "I knew it! I told you, you had no business in there!"

"Oh God, shut up, please." Rob snapped.

"It's been a long day, Angel. We really don't need a lecture." Jon added.

"Did you get the supplies we'll need?" Rob asked.

"Yeah, everything on the list."

"Good. Let's see how Arina's doing tomorrow and we'll decide what to do from there."

*

Arina stayed in the hospital wing for the night. She'd come to shortly after arriving at the Center, but exhaustion overwhelmed her. She slept fitfully throughout the night, always awakening with the thoughts of her parents abandoning her.

_It didn't really happen, did it_, she continued to ask herself. It had felt real enough. The sound of the door slamming in her face was still ringing in her ears, and her father's face, twisted in so much anger...tears slipped from her eyes before she realized it, and then they wouldn't stop. She cried into her pillow until sleep claimed her once again for the rest of the night.

*

When morning came, Chansey gently woke Arina, and then helped her to the bathroom. Arina still felt shaky on her feet, but nowhere near how she felt yesterday. With Joy's blessing, Jon, Angel, and Rob stopped by a little bit later.

"Hey! We brought breakfast!" Jon said cheerfully, "pancakes, as promised." He set them in front of her and she looked down at them blankly.

'Uh, why don't we let you eat and we'll get your Pokemon outside and exercised." Rob said. Arina nodded and they left again with a "Feel better."

Joy checked on Arina later, and gave her a clean bill of health, only ordering her to take it easy for today at least. She dressed, and wandered out to the lounge where the picture window offered a great view of the backyard. Her group and her Pokemon were out there, and they looked so happy, the Pokemon included, the complete opposite of how she felt.

"Oh yes, she's sitting over by the window." Nurse Joy said at the front desk. Arina looked over to see the psychic from yesterday, now dressed in street clothes, coming toward her. At once, terror and dread filled her, but she felt she couldn't move, either.

"I asked Nurse Joy if she'd received a human patient yesterday, and she pointed you right out," the psychic said first, as she sat down across from her. "My name is Ellen."

Arina opened her mouth and found no words would come.

"Oh yes. Vocal release." Ellen said, waving her hand in front of her. "I'm sorry, but most people come out of a possession screaming, and it's very hard to stop them. Your friends got you out of there so quickly, I didn't have time to lift the spell. Now, you were saying?"

"My name is Arina Ketchum."

Ellen smiled, "Very good. It appears your mind was relatively unscathed from the experience." She paused, "however, as it is clear from the look on your face, emotionally, you are not."

Arina didn't have anything to say, so Ellen continued.

"Miss Ketchum, what you experienced yesterday was neither reality, the future in any shape, nor was it any kind of prophecy to dictate your life."

"No?" Arina asked quietly, releasing the relieved sigh she'd been holding back.

"No, however real it may have seemed. In training, I myself was possessed a number of times, by both Pokemon and human spirits alike."

"Was that scary?"

"Terrifying, especially what I saw under possession. Your deepest fears, your nightmares, and your weaknesses are preyed upon. Your friends appeared to have been possessed as well, or at least touched by the spirit, but you got the full brunt of it, for whatever reason."

Arina looked down at her lap. "So, I'm that weak?"

"Ms. Ketchum – Arina, look at me." Ellen leaned across to the young girl. "You are no weaker or stronger than any ten-year-old in this situation. Why you were put into a full possession and your friends were not does not reflect poorly on you in any way. I have seen even the most skilled psychic fall under…" she paused and shook her head. "Anyway, what I'm getting at is-"

"I shouldn't worry about it too much."

Ellen smiled and nodded, "Yes, exactly."

"I'll try."

"Good." Ellen was still smiling. "If you need further assistance, here's my phone number." She handed Arina a business card. "The Tower is closed for now."

Arina looked surprised. "Why?"

"Surprising as it may seem, the possession of a child is a very rare occurrence, even for this town, and a very real threat. It means that this spirit is going to go to great lengths to do what it wants."

"Can't it just leave the Tower and possess anyone in town then?"

"It could, but we put up seals all over the tower before locking it up, and we're pretty sure it's still in there. We'll be performing a peace ritual in a few days, and hopefully, that will solve the problem."

Before Arina could ask what a "peace ritual" was, Jon came up to them. "Hey Rin, lunchtime, hungry?"

"I think so." Arina smiled a little. "Jon, this is Ellen, she helped us in the tower yesterday."

"Nice to meet you. Thank you for helping us yesterday. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Perfectly all right. We're finished here anyway." Ellen smiled at him. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, not every day I'm in a situation like that. Rob seems to be doing ok, too. Little quiet, but he's not that talkative to begin with."

"I'm glad to hear you're doing better," Ellen smiled. "Well, I must be going. Please have a pleasant journey," she said as she stood.

"Thank you." Jon and Arina said together.

"So food, yes?" Jon turned to me.

"One track mind, yes," but Arina stood anyway. "Where's our group? Rattata will need a good brushing today."

End Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

Author's notes: The final chapter of Fear, Itself. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far! More to come soon! I'll have an author's note about a certain part of this chapter in the next story! It's been pretty quiet in the feedback section. Are you liking it? Hating it? Want to see it go in another direction? Let me know!

Thanks for reading! ~ Arina

* * *

Fear, Itself

Chapter 3

By Arina Ketchum

They stayed one more night at Lavender Town's Pokemon Center and then headed for Saffron. By then, Arina was relatively herself once again, although a bit quieter than usual.

They met several trainers on the road, even had lunch with some of them. They took turns battling, as they went, Arina losing both her battles, Rob and Jon winning their double battle, along with Angel winning hers.

"Don't sweat it, Rin," Jon said sympathetically, "you know Angel and I have been training for five years."

"But I grew up around Pokemon," Arina said with distress. "Tell me you didn't see me freeze up when that guy called out his Blastoise!"

"Arina, you're still a green trainer. Take it easy on yourself," Angel said.

"Just because you've lived around Pokemon your entire life doesn't mean you've been training that long. Besides, Rob grew up on a Pokemon research ranch and he's as green as you are."

"Even worse, because I have no memory of anything, so I've got to learn everything all over again," Rob sighed.

"Well, when we get to Saffron, let's sit down and work on the basics again, maybe even change up the teams a little."

Not to sound like she didn't appreciate the help, Arina uttered a hollow thank you, which Rob echoed. Arina already knew the basics, but it appeared, subconsciously, she just wanted to forget.

*

They reached Lavendar Town several hours later after their discussion, and checked into the Pokemon Center, which seemed, for a Center, deserted.

"We're the only trainers here?" Arina asked, glancing around.

"Yes, I'm sure you're just behind or ahead of another large group," Joy said, "I wouldn't worry too much about it."

"That means we can eat all the ice cream here!" Angel cried.

"Uh, maybe that's taking it a bit far…" Joy sweatdropped. "Would you kids like to see something special?" She motioned them over to the large plate glass window built into the wall next to the front desk. They walked over to see –

"Puppies!" Angel cried delightedly.

Six Growlithe pups were playing with various toys in the room, while their mother, an Arcanine, slept to the side.

"Aren't they adorable?" Angel cooed.

"They should be ready for new homes pretty soon," Joy smiled.

"REALLY?!" Angel's eyes sparkled, "I want all of them!"

"Uh…" Joy was taken aback.

"I will build an army of Growlithes! They'll be an unstoppable force at the Games!" the purple-haired trainer said with her fist to the air.

"Except against Rock, Water, and Ground," Jon pointed out, bursting Angel's bubble. She moaned and her head drooped.

"Maybe you should reconsider this," Arina said.

"We'd actually like them to go to different homes anyway," Joy said gently.

"Oh." Angel was obviously crushed.

"Besides, you already have an Ninetales. What do you need a Growlithe for?"

"I like Fire Pokemon, that's all."

Jon chuckled, "You don't need an army of them to appreciate them!"

"But they're so cute! Look! One even has a brown tuft of hair on his head that makes him stand out from the others!"

"If that's your excuse, then you don't need one."

"Let's see," Rob said, counting on his fingers, "I've got Charmeleon, Angel has Ninetales…"

"I have a Ponyta."

"That leaves Jon." Rob said.

"Oh, no! I'm not getting a Growlithe just so Angel has a puppy friend once we're on the road again."

"What's wrong with a fire Pokemon?" Arina asked.

"Nothing. I've got my six, and that's plenty."

"Well, you've got time to think it over. They won't be getting the last of their shots until next week." Joy said gently.

"We'll be on the road by then." Angel said glumly. "Oh, well."

"Chansey!" Chansey said from the front desk.

"Oh, your rooms are ready," Joy said. "Go see Chansey for your keys."

*

"Should we go to the Gym now or wait till tomorrow?"

"Let's go over. I should at least say hi," Arina said.

"The traveling diplomat," Jon grinned.

"Let's go. I want to see the Dojo. That sounded interesting," Rob commented as he headed for the door.

They walked through town, only stopping when Angel dragged them back to a giant building.

"Do you _know_ what this is?" she said, pointing skyward.

"A giant building?" Rob asked.

"It's better than that! It's the building that houses the best company in the world!"

"Super Sugar Candy headquarters? I thought they were based in Johto." Arina tilted her head.

"No!" Angel cried in exasperation, "You guys, it's the Silph Corporation! The people that perfected every type of Pokeball there is!"

The rest of them looked defeated. "So?"

"Do you guys not get it? Without Pokeballs, there would be no trainers. Without trainers, there would be no Gyms, without Gyms there would be no League. We owe _everything_ to these people!"

"Uh, sure, if you say so," Arina said in confusion at Angel's logic.

"Oh come on, Arina, surely you can appreciate them as much as I can!"

"Oh sure, I appreciate them, but I don't _worship_ them."

"Oh, come on, guys, let's see if they have a tour!" Angel begged.

"I guess we should humor her, seeing as she didn't get the Growlithe." Rob said to the others.

"All right Angel, let's go," Jon smiled and Angel's face lit up with excitement.

"Yea! Pokeball heaven, here we come!" Angel punched the air happily.

*

"And this concludes our tour of the Silph Company. Please remember to visit our gift shop and have a lovely day." The voice over the loudspeaker system announced.

"That was AMAZING!" Angel clapped. "And to think we got to see the Master Ball up close, because we were the only ones on the tour!"

"Yeah, I wondered about that. We were the only ones at the Pokemon Center, too. Don't you find that a bit unusual?" Jon asked.

"Nope, we're probably in between groups, like Joy said." Angel was blithely unconcerned, and turned to Arina. "So can you appreciate Silph Corp, _now_, Arina?"

"I guess?" Arina asked. "I mean, we got free Pokeballs out of it, so that was worth the tour. They just seem to think a little too much of themselves."

"They have to have confidence behind the brand and the company!" Angel cried.

"All right, cheerleader, enough. You love Pokeballs. We got it." Jon said.

"Maybe you should consider working for them someday," Rob suggested.

"That would be awesome!" Angel cried, her eyes sparkling at the idea.

"Don't get her started again!" Arina cried frantically.

"Let's get to the Dojo before they close."

*

"Dojo closed to visitors today. We apologize." The sign on the front door of the Dojo read.

"I wonder why," Angel mused.

"Maybe they're all in the mountains training," Arina suggested.

"Maybe they just needed a day off," someone said behind the four of them.

They turned around to see a large, burly man standing there, his arms full of groceries.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I'm Mike, the current leader of the Dojo." He handed Jon a bag. "Hold that for me while I unlock the door, ok?"

"Uh…"

"You guys are welcome to come in, though. Sabrina said I'd have company today, and I'd enjoy some for dinner."

"You live here?" Jon asked.

"Yep, sure do. It saves me money so I don't have to rent my own place. There's not a lot of room for personal living space, but since it's just me, it works." He opened the door, and held it open for Arina and Angel. "Ladies, first!"

They entered and took off their shoes in the front room.

"Wow, look at this place!" Rob said in awe. Swords adored the wall, and a rack held all sorts of training equipment. "Are you guys an authorized League Gym?"

"No, the League feels two Gyms in a town would create a bit of chaos."

"Why not just move to a town that doesn't have a Gym?" Jon asked.

Mike deflected, "Nah, too much trouble. Besides, we get done what we need to get done here without being League sanctioned."

"Oh, that's right! I have to go visit Sabrina next door." Arina remembered.

"Sure, you kids go ahead. I'll get started on dinner."

"I'll stay here." Rob offered. "I'll help with dinner."

*

"Hello, Ms. Sabrina?" Arina called out as they entered the Gym. "It's Arina Ketchum, I came to say hello."

"Good evening," a man in a lab coat, wearing horn-rimmed glasses, with poofy brown hair opened a door to a side room. "Please, follow me. Sabrina has been expecting you."

"She _has_?!" Angel hissed in Arina's ear, making her cringe. She waved the older girl's concern off anyway.

They took a warp tile straight into the main battle room, where Sabrina was waiting. She stood from the chair she'd been sitting on, flanked by a Haunter, and came toward the blue-haired girl. "Arina Ketchum, my goodness, you've grown!" She gave Arina a hug and then pulled away, holding her hands. "The last time I saw y-"

Sabrina stopped suddenly, and the look on her face changed, her eyes seeming to go blank.

"The last time what?" Arina asked nervously. She didn't like the look of this, and tried to pull her hands away, but Sabrina's grip was firm as a white glow surrounded both of them.

"The blood of the innocent spilled," Sabrina began to speak in an unnerving hollow monotone. "The guardian shall arise from its sleep. One life, exchanged…"

"What's going on?" Jon cried over Sabrina's chant.

"Something happened when she touched your friend – she set off Sabrina's psychic powers!" The assistant cried, clearly unnerved.

"Shall conquer the darkness, but bring terrible sorrow!" Sabrina finished loudly.

Arina felt Sabrina's grip slack, and yanked away from her, shaking. Jon grabbed her by the shoulders, while Sabrina's assistant rushed forward to catch Sabrina, who fell to the ground in a dead faint.

"Under the circumstances, I think you'd better leave." The assistant ordered them.

Arina didn't waste a second, and took off for the warp tile.

*

The door to the Dojo slammed open and Rob and Mike looked out from the kitchen.

"Arina?" Rob asked, "What happened?"

Arina fell to her knees at the front entrance, looking down at the wood flooring in front of her with a horrified expression.

Jon and Angel came running in. "That woman is psycho!" Jon yelled.

"What the hell happened?" Mike cried.

"Sabrina started hallucinating, saying the blood of the innocent would be spilled or something by Arina!" Angel cried hysterically. Arina burst into tears, and Angel grabbed her.

Mike cursed. "Watch dinner and don't leave. I'll be back later."

"Shh, it's ok, Rin." Angel stroked Arina's head and rocked her, even though things were obviously _not_ ok.

"What'll we do?" Jon asked softly, clearly rattled by the turn of events.

"Stay put, like Mike said," Rob answered with a shrug. "Besides, dinner's almost ready."

Jon and Angel looked at each other helplessly.

A half-hour passed before Mike returned. The kids, save Arina, had eaten, and Rob handed him a plate of food as he came in. They were sitting at the kitchen table, Arina slumped in her seat, and still visibly shaking.

Mike put the plate on the table and knelt down next to Arina. "Arina, I know that was scary, but I need you to tell me *exactly* what Sabrina said."

"I don't remember!" Arina burst into tears again. "I don't remember!"

Angel stood up, scraping her chair along the floor behind her, racing around the table to get to her. "Stop it! She's terrified, can't you see that?"

Mike sighed, downheartedly. "Yes, I can."

"You'll have to excuse us. We got a similar shakeup in Lavendar Town." Jon offered as an apology.

"Oh?" Mike looked surprised.

"We – Rob, Arina, and I were temporarily possessed in Pokemon Tower. Rin got the brunt of it."

Mike whistled. "Heard about that, had no idea it was you guys."

Angel was curious as to _where_ he'd heard that bit of info, but didn't pursue it. "We need to get going, the Pokemon Center closes soon."

"I'll walk you three back there, but Arina is staying here tonight."

"What?"

"Why?"

"If she stays, we _all_ stay," Jon said defiantly.

"Who are you, anyway, telling us what to do?" Angel cried angrily.

"Stop it." Arina's tiny, quivering voice stopped the upcoming fight. "Guys, it's all right. Go back to the Center, I'll see you tomorrow."

"But, Rin -" Arina's pleading look in her blue eyes made Jon stop, and change his thought process. "All right, guys, let's go."

Angel bent down again and hugged her, a gesture Arina did not return. "You've got my cell phone number if you need to talk."

"Bye, Arina." Rob said as they walked out.

Mike was the last one to leave. "Don't move, or I'll make you eat Magikarp stew for breakfast," he quipped. Arina neither cringed nor laughed at his idle threat.

Mike arrived back at the Dojo forty-five minutes later, after a brief stop at the Gym to check on Sabrina, who was still sleeping. When he came into the kitchen, Arina was resting her head on the table, staring blankly at nothing.

"I'll tell you what, Ms. Ketchum," Mike said as he sat down across from her, "you've got some loyal friends there. They were bound and determined to come back here. That is, until Joy ordered them all up to bed with a look that even frightened _me_."

Arina lifted her head to look at him, "You know who I am?"

"Of course I do! The first born of the Pokemon Master, Ash Ketchum! I was a guest at your celebration a couple weeks after you were born. You had a full head of blue hair, too."

"Oh." Under normal circumstances, Arina would have loved to hear more, but tonight?

"Considering you didn't put up a fight like your friends, you know why I'm keeping you here tonight."

"You want to know what Sabrina said."

"Well, yes, but I believe you when you say you don't remember. And that's ok, you were completely freaked out. I would be, too," he paused. "The other reason is I have a secure phone line."

"You want me to call the League?"

"Oh good God, no!" Mike chuckled. "The League is terrified of Sabrina. They're afraid if they try to shut her down, she'll wreak all sort of havoc. Which she actually wouldn't, but that's a secret between you and me," Mike winked. "No, I want you to call your father on his secure line. He cares about Sabrina, and she's deeply indebted to him for what he did for her."

"I heard about that, something about making her laugh."

Mike smiled, "Exactly. Now, let's get you ready for bed. I brought your stuff from the Pokemon Center."

"But, the phone call?"

"We'll do that tomorrow morning. It's getting late."

Arina took a quick shower, which normally would have felt refreshing, but tonight, it did nothing to lift her spirits. She changed into her pj's, the only set she'd brought with her on the trip.

"You'll take my bed tonight, so the guys won't disturb you tomorrow morning during our drills." Mike said as he walked her to his bedroom.

"What about you? Where are you going to sleep?"

"There's a couch down by the T.V. It'll be fine for tonight."

"You really love Sabrina, don't you?" Arina said solemnly, suddenly changing the topic.

Mike was taken aback. "What makes you say that?"

"I saw….pictures, when she was holding on to me. They went by pretty quickly, but a lot of them were of you."

Mike's heart thudded against his chest, "So you gals exchanged a little mind info, hm?"

"That's why you've never moved the Dojo, because you want to be close to her."

"That's quite an imagination you've got there!" Mike deflected, but he was amazed at what she knew.

Arina yawned as she climbed into the futon. "It's going to be…a beautiful wedding."

Mike smiled a sad, bitter smile as he walked to the door. He could only ever _wish_ that to actually happen. "Good night, Ms. Ketchum." He said softly, as he flicked off the light. Arina was already sound asleep.

End Chapter 3


End file.
